New competition will offer former participants the chance to showcase commercial ventures in front of up to 50,000 visitors at BTYSTE 2017
left to right: Daniel Hobbs & James Eggers, BTYSTE alumni and founders of BetterExaminations.ie, and Rhona Togher and Eimear O’Carroll, BTYSTE alumni and founders of Restored Hearing
14 November 2016: The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) today announced the BTYSTE Alumni Showcase, a new feature for 2017 which will see previous participants compete for the chance to exhibit their commercial ventures before an audience of up to 50,000 people at the Exhibition on 12th-14th January 2017.
The competition is open to alumni of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition or BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp who qualified for the Exhibition itself and went on to incorporate a company based on their BTYSTE project. The goal of the competition is to shine a light on the myriad of successful commercial enterprises born at the Exhibition since its beginnings in 1965, including BTYSTE-born companies like FenuHealth, Restored Hearing, betterexaminations.ie and The Duffily Bag.
The submission process is simple – applicants from across the island of Ireland are invited to log on to www.btyoungscientist.com/alumni and tell BT about their company, its impact, and why they deserve the opportunity to exhibit. Nine companies (three per day) will be selected to exhibit alongside 50+ leading private and public sector organisations on the public days of the Exhibition, 12th to 14th January 2017.
Shay Walsh, Managing Director of BT Ireland, said; “The BTYSTE Alumni Showcase is a brilliant opportunity to highlight the commercial success stories born at the Exhibition, and to demonstrate how our investment in young talent is impacting the STEM sector, the Irish economy and society as a whole. It’s the perfect way for 2017 entrants to glimpse the potential of their own simple ideas and the business opportunities that lie beyond the Exhibition, and with a potential footfall of 50,000 people, it’s also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the successful companies to line up alongside some of the country’s best known organisations and raise the visibility of their ventures.”
Applications for the BTYSTE Alumni Showcase will be accepted from 14th to 28th November 2016. Full terms and conditions are available at www.btyoungscientist.com/alumni.
The 53rd BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will take place in the RDS, Dublin from 11th-14th January 2017. For more information, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com or follow the Exhibition on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @BTYSTE.
ENDS
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Lydia Tierney, FleishmanHillard – 01 618 8459 or 085 7138810
Isobel Jones, FleishmanHillard – 01 6188 415 or 087 6903843
Notes to editors
About the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is much more than a competition – it is the experience of a lifetime for the students and teachers who take part. Designed to raise schools’ engagement in the critical subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), the Exhibition calls upon students aged 12-19 from all over the island of Ireland to showcase innovative science and technology projects to approx. 50,000 visitors each year. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is supported by a number of valued partners including the Department of Education & Skills, Analog Devices, Intel, RTE and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland. Learn more at www.btyoungscientist.com.
About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. In Ireland, BT operates globally and delivers locally, serving multinational corporations, indigenous exporters and public sector organisations in every segment of the Irish economy, as well as other major communications providers through our wholesale offering. Our portfolio is a powerful combination of cloud services, global networking, IT integration, carrier voice and data services, contact centre solutions and professional security expertise, enabling customers to solve complex business communications requirements on a global scale. BT’s reported revenue in the Republic of Ireland was €507.8 million for the year ended 31 March 2016.
With more than 600 employees across five cities, BT is invested in Ireland’s economic growth and success. We are proud to have organised the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition for the last 17 years, designed to raise school engagement in STEM subjects and help nurture local talent and skills for the workforce of tomorrow.
For more information visit www.btireland.com.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
